The late Stav Geta, who was killed on October 7, loved makbouba — especially when her mother Etty made shakshuka with it. 

Stav Geta was always brimming with endless energy, her mother Etty recalls. The night before she was killed, Etty prepared her daughter’s favorite meal: several salads and a large pot of makbouba, a Tunisian cooked salad of tomatoes and peppers, that she used as a base for shakshuka.

“But instead of Stav taking all the leftover food home, as she had promised,” they were served at her Shiva, Etty says, with a wistful smile, tinged with gratitude that at least she was able to make her daughter the food she loved the most for what was tragically her last meal. After Shabbat dinner on October 6, Stav went to a party at her friend Eden Gez’s home and from there, they continued together to the Nova festival, near Kibbutz Re’im. In the middle of the festivities, feeling tired, Stav dozed in the car while waiting for Eden, who wanted to spend a bit more time at the party. Eventually, as they set off for home, Hamas’ horrific attack unfolded. Attempting to escape the terror of the rockets, they found themselves caught in an ambush by terrorists along the road, near Kibbutz Mefalsim. Both Stav, 30, and Eden, 31, were killed.

Stav was born and raised in Ashkelon, and was always surrounded by friends. Full of bubbly energy and the joys of life, she was also known by her friends and family as a sensitive and good listener. Her mother recalls how, as a child, Stav relished the freedom to roam outdoors and collect odds and ends. As she grew older, she never stopped pushing boundaries. When she became a mother herself, to five-year-old Naveh and one-year-old Reef, her children became her entire world, “and now she”s not here to raise them” Etty says.

It was only on the Monday after the massacre that the family members and friends received the news. Until then, Etty recalls, they held onto hope that Stav would somehow save Eden and they would manage to escape. “She was a lioness” says Etty. Even in their final moments in the car, the two best friends were captured [on their phones] trying to share a laugh and uplift each other’s spirits. “All seven of us were waiting for her to burst in like a storm and say: “What’s wrong with you? Why are you crying? Come on, let’s be happy, as only Stav could”; Etty reflects while seasoning the makbouba on her stove in Ashkelon. “And maybe that’s what keeps me going. Every time I think of her, I think of her lifting others up and finding joy.”

Stav liked to add eggs to the makbouba and use it as a base for shakshuka, and that’s exactly how Etty prepared it in her memory.

Method:

• Cut a cross into the base of the tomatoes with a knife. Place in a bowl, cover with boiling water and let stand for a few minutes. Remove the skins and coarsely chop the tomatoes.
• Place both types of peppers in a large, wide sauté pan, and add the chopped tomatoes and garlic. Season with salt and caraway seeds, add the oil, and cook over a low heat, uncovered, for at least 1 hour. Occasionally stir to prevent the vegetables from burning at the bottom of the pan. As they cook, they will soften and meld together.
• The stew is ready when all the vegetables are soft and the liquids have evaporated. Only the softened vegetables and the oil should remain.
• Transfer the makbouba to a glass bowl. Once cool cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. The makbouba will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for almost a week.
• For shakshuka made with makbouba:
• Heat the makbouba in a sauté pan over medium heat.
• Using a wooden spoon, create wells in the mixture and gently crack an egg into each indentation.
• Season with salt and black pepper and cook until the eggs reach the desired level of doneness. Cover the eggs for part of the time to achieve soft egg yolks, just as Stav loved them.

"A Place at the Table" is a commemorative project that documents the favourite dishes of those lost on October 7 with the help of their families. This recipe appears exactly as the family makes it; it has not been edited.

If you make this recipe share a photo of it and tag it with #a_place_at_the_table to honour the memory of the late Stav Geta.